Hi All, I am about 12 hours late posting this days yummy dishes…had a few distractions last night, like a Thai massage and my friends took me out to eat at a Greek restaurant, for a change of pace, and then dancing. Was a FUN evening!
Today was an eight dishes day, taught to me by Chef Nat. This was my last private lesson with him…did I tell you how AMAZING he is? I know I have! I will miss his tutelage! You can tell he is an experienced Chef with lots of knowledge of Thai food, as well as other countries.
A couple of the recipes were soup/stew related so had a long process to get that wonderful tasting broth happening. A couple new ingredients I worked with today included preserved mustard greens and wax gourd. Some of my work stations today:
So the dishes I made today were:
- Stewed pork leg with chili vinegar dip (Khao Kha Moo)
- Chicken and rice with soybean paste dip (Khao Man Gai)
- Northern curry paste with pork (Kaeng Hung Lay)
- Deep fried prawn and herbs salad in taro basket (Goong Thod Katong Pheuak)
- Stir fried fish with Chinese celery (Pla Pad Kun Chai)
- Southern style fried chicken (Gai Thot Had Yai)
- Spicy egg salad with bacon (Yum Kai Dao Bacon)
I have to say, I loved everything today, I don’t think I have not liked something so far, but I did have my favorites. If I only had to choose my top three they would be the stewed pork leg, the chicken and rice, the northern curry paste with pork and the southern style fried chicken…okay, top 4!
Such a complexity of flavors in the stewed pork leg, which had about 28+ ingredients in it to get those flavors. The chicken and rice was less complex but had that simple healthy flavor that made you feel good when you ate it. Both of those definitely are good soups/stews to eat if you have a cold!
On the other hand, the Northern curry paste with pork and the southern style fried chicken…not as healthy, ha, ha…but ohhhhh so good. To narrow it down even more, I believe these two are my top two choices. That being said, I have to go with the fried chicken. I have never really made a southern fried chicken and always wanted to learn how to get that awesome crunch…then fast forward to Thailand and eating that street food fried chicken that smells so good and has a wonderful crunch I wanted to learn how to make that…well, I know now! It is a simple recipe but sooo good. The chicken is moist inside and crunchy on the outside!
For the fried chicken, you will need:
- 2 chicken thighs (you can use any cut of chicken but dark meat tends to stay more moist)
- 1 coriander root, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon white pepper corn
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed
- 2 tablespoons tempura flour
- 2 tablespoons limestone water or soda water
- 2 tablespoons deep fried shallots for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon seasoning sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- Palm oil for frying
Steps:
- Pound (in a mortar) the peppercorn, cumin and coriander seeds then add coriander root and garlic and pound between rough and smooth. Add to a mixing bowl.
- Combine all the other ingredients into the mixing bowl, except for chicken and fried shallots (shallots are a topping), with the tempura flour being added last and mix well.
- Add chicken and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime slice your shallots thin, cover with some all purpose flour and fry to make deep fried shallots for topping.
- Deep fry chicken in wok on medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning half way through.
- Turn wok to high and cook for another 3-5 minutes, turning once in between, until you have a golden color and is crispy. Take out and set in a strainer to rest about 10-15 minutes.
- Right before you are ready to eat, re-fry chicken for about another 3 minutes, turning in between, to get it extra crispy.
- Can serve with sticky rice.
Pictures of the other dishes I made:
Well, that is it for today, sorry my post was a little later than usual. More to come on Monday!
